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Two hours on caffeine, with Michael Pollan

Revisado: 02-14-23

What do you want? It’s exactly what it says it is. If you’re looking for an 8-hour dive into the science of caffeine you’re obviously not gonna find it here. If you want to briefly inform yourself about caffeine: the good, the bad, and whatever else there may be, then this is the book for you.

My only quibble was in the audiobook version and was the perceived overuse of direct quotes, where (I felt) a signal phrase would’ve been less interruptive of the flow. Other than that, great book, loved it, love the author’s work and performance thereof.

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Should be required reading for Americans

Revisado: 02-13-23

This is an exquisite account of contemporary American humanity’s relationship to food and the Earth. Exploring the depressingly flawed, exploitative, and profit-driven industrial food systems of this country is emotionally taxing, but by the end of the book you’ve transcended through all the stages of depression and arrived somewhere close to hopeful if not inspired. Keep in mind, this sometimes uncomfortable reading experience is well worth your while, and you couldn’t have a better guide on this journey than Michael Pollan.

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I’m doing this for trivia

Revisado: 02-02-23

This book is exactly what I needed. It’s what it says it is, no more and no less. Short, concise, and great for somebody aiming to sharpen their trivia game by knowing a thing or two about the presidents.

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I didn’t even care about microbiology…

Revisado: 01-30-23

…but I’d just read “An Immense World” and was sufficiently hooked on this author. He’s humorous, engaging, and his writing is approachable without compromising the facts. I’ll read any book he comes out with. It could be the history of desks and if Yong wrote it it’ll probably be one of the most interesting reads I’ve ever experienced.

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pretentious policy pedal pushing is irksome in any accent

Revisado: 01-30-23

I never thought I’d dislike a Scottish accent until I listened to this book. I guess pretentious policy pedal pushing is irksome in any accent. I think what I find most distasteful about this book is that it is a fundraising pitch pretending to be objective. I really loathe manipulative subtext. I suppose after Feral by Monbiot, a more “well-rounded” and accessible, less sanctimonious approach was needed for garnering support for rewilding. I don’t even hate rewilding as a conservation strategy, but I do hate this book. Just pull up rewilding on Wikipedia if you’re that curious about it, save yourself a handful of hours.

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Ever watched a movie and wished there was more?

Revisado: 11-23-22

That’s how I felt after watching Hayao Miyazaki’s adaptation of Howl’s Moving Castle. It was well after watching the movie dozens of times that I happened upon the book, and let me tell you: it was a very different experience. Some might be tempted to be disappointed that the two are not more similar, like reading and watching the Game of Thrones series, for instance. I encourage you not to fall for that temptation and instead consider the two as separate tellings of a myth, each capturing the magic of it in a different way. Just as Merlin and King Arthur’s legend can be told in hundreds of ways without becoming less epic, Sophie and Howl’s story is an exciting, easy to love, moralistic adventure no matter which master is telling the story.

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Amazing.

Revisado: 10-26-22

Love Brontë, all of them. Newton’s reading was exquisitely delivered, powerful, enigmatic, evocative. Grateful for this experience.

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